Bill Ripken to Serve as Keynote for 2014 Leadoff Banquet

Maryland Athletics

11-12-2013

COLLEGE PARK, Md. –Emmy-nominated MLB Network Analyst and former Major League Baseball player Bill Ripken will headline the 2014 Maryland Baseball Leadoff Banquet to be held Saturday, Feb. 8 at Ripken Stadium, home of the Aberdeen Ironbirds, in Aberdeen, Md.

The price of a ticket is $100 for Home Run Club members and former players, and $125 for the general public. Table pricing is to be determined. The banquet will begin at 7 p.m. and include a live and silent auction, dinner and an address from Ripken. Contact director of baseball operations Matt Swope, mswope@umd.edu, for event information.

Bill Ripken, a 12-year major league veteran, began his career with the Baltimore Orioles in 1987, under the direction of his father, Cal Ripken, Sr., and alongside his brother Cal Ripken, Jr. This was the first and remains the only time in Major League Baseball history that a father simultaneously managed two of his sons.

After five and a half seasons with the Orioles, Ripken, who would later return to Baltimore for a year, played for Texas, Cleveland and Detroit. In 1988, he was second among American League second baseman in double plays turned (100). At the plate, Ripken led the Baltimore Orioles in hitting with a .291 average and 28 doubles in 1990.

A second baseman by trade, his fielding percentage was .9927 in 1992, the best of any major league second baseman that season. He concluded his career with a .247 lifetime batting average.

In the spring of 2002, Ripken was honored for his achievements in Major League Baseball with an induction into the Maryland Sports Hall of Fame. After a stellar big league career, Bill joined his brother in the formation of Ripken Baseball and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation.